by George Gissing · 1889
In the slums of Clerkenwell, orphaned Jane Snowdon is rescued from her abusive guardians and taken in by her secretly wealthy grandfather Michael Snowdon, who wants her to spend his fortune on the poor. He dies before signing a new will, jeweler Sidney Kirkwood marries the embittered, acid-scarred Clara Hewett instead of Jane, and Clara's brother Bob dies fleeing arrest for coining forged money — leaving Jane to reject inherited money and marriage alike for a life of quiet, grinding toil among the poor she loves.